Where is the hottest place in the world to live in?

July 18, 2014 by Karen Hill | Filed Under: Science

Officially, the hottest place in the world is Death Valley, California.

On July 10, 1913, temperatures reached 134 °F (56.7 °C). Four years later, during the summer of 1917, Death Valley broke another recordthe highest average temperatureby maintaining temperatures of over 120 °F (48 °C) for forty-three consecutive days.

These are the official world records because they have been thoroughly documented. However, we can assume that other places, particularly in Africa, have likely reached higher numbers. For example, on September 13, 1922, Al Aziziyah, Libya, reached a reported temperature of 136.4 °F (58 °C), according to the National Geographic Society, but it was never officially recognized by the world’s weather services, so the better-documented Death Valley record still stands.

Having said that, Dallol, Ethiopia also deserves mention. It holds the record for the highest average annual mean temperature in the world. From October 1960 to December 1966, the average mean temperature was 94 °F (35 °C). Yep, that’s some mean temperature.